JAMES RITCHIE was born in Scotland, he sailed from Liverpool, England, abt 1768 with five brothers, the ship that he sailed on was The Marigold. (but it hasn't been verified yet as the ship.)  He came to Virginia and settled on the James River there in Virginia, while some of his brothers settled in East Tennesse and one brother in North Carolina and one brother in Texas, one brother John (Long John) Ritchie settled in Cranes Nest, Virginia.

James lived in Virginia for awhile and then he moved to Buncombe Co, North Carolina, he had a brother there, named Alexander Ritchie and his wife had two brothers there Gabriel Keith and Reuben Keith.

James & Mary Ritchie lived there for some years, they are on the 1800 Census for Buncombe Co, NC and so are Mary's two brothers with their families. They moved to Kentucky sometime after 1800, they crossed the river at Carrs Creek in Kentucky and James Ritchie was drowned there in between 1811 and 1818.

After James Ritchie's death his wife Mary  with her son John (long John) Ritchie and all her family except Alexander Crockett Ritchie, went back to VA, Scott Co or Russell Co, John Ritchie's descendants are know living in Wise C, VA. Alexander Crockett Ritchie was the only one of his family to stay in the Kentucky mountains, he had his pick of the land in Carrs, but it was to lonesome there, so he searched around until he found the nearest families, a few scattered ones in Clear Creek in Knott Co. At the head of Clear Creek is some high pretty land called Hammonds Gap, it is here where all his children were born.

Alexander  lived in a cave for awhile before his house was built up on Hudsons Ridge, where Gabe Hudsons farm used to be, most of his children stayed in Kentucky and raised their families there, but a few of his children moved after 1850 to Madison Co, Arkansas, Isom, Hiram and some of the daughters and their raised their families there.

James Ritchie was a Private in the 2nd Virginian State Regiment, during the Rev War, he fought in the battle of Yorktown with his brother JOHN (Long John ) RITCHIE, Yorktown battle date was September 28, 1781, where the British in command was Lord Cornwallis, he was captured.

A story that James told about this battle has been passed down through generations. He said that before his regiment went into action, the officiers had their men mix up whiskey with gunpowder in it to make them nervy.

After the War James went to North Carolina and was in Buncombe Co, NC in
1795 and on the 1800 census of Buncombe Co, NC. The NC census lists him
as over 45 years old .

He moved to Virginia again between 1801 and 1802 because he was livng in
Russell County, Va in 1802 as a citizen and he applied for and received
a land grant in Russell County Va in 1804. The Ritchie family lived beside the Cranes Nest river, (now Wise Co, Va)  Next they moved to Perry Co, (now Knott Co, KY) Kentucky around 1815.

After their father JAMES RITCHIE died, crossing Carrs Creek, Alexander Crockett Ritchie's family  remained in Kentucky, the rest of the family with the mother Mary (Keith) Ritchie moved back to Virginia.

All his sons were in the the Civil War, John Ritchie was a Union soldier and the other sons were confiderate soldiers.

James DEATH: DRowned while crossing the river at Carrs Fork Creek, Ky.
BURIAL: He was buried along side Carrs Fork of Troublesome Creek in
Perry Co, Ky, exact location unknown.

Here are some notes on Alexander Crockett Ritchie.
Alexander, Betsie and their family moved from Russell Co, VA about 1809, they came thorough "Pound Gap" to Clay C, KY, they lived at Carrs Creek for a short while before going onto Clear Creek of Troublesome Creek in what later became Knott Co, Ky. Most believe that he is the Crocker Rickey that is on the 1810 Clay Co, Census, he is also on the 1820 Census of Clay Co, Ky, as Clocker Richie, both spelt wrong, but quite obvious that its him, his name is also on the 1811 and 1812 tax lists. He was living with his son ISOM RITCHIE on the 1850 Census of Perry Co,
KY and it has his birth place as North Carolina, we do not know why. Alexander Crockett Ritchie lived in a cave while his house was being built for his family in Perry Co, KY. The site of the house is gone and the cave, it was obliterated when they stripped mined for coal some years ago. The cave and house were up on Hudsons Ridge, where Gabe Hudsons farm used to be.
BURIAL: Ritchie Cemetery, Fisty, Kentucky.

JAMES RITCHIE was born in 1757 in Scotland, he came to America from Scotland with several brothers and settled in Virginia.

JAMES RITCHIE married MARY POLLY KEITH in 1775 in VA, she was born 1757
in VA, James Ritcie served in the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the Rev war, after the Revolutionary war he moved to Buncombe Co, NC where he lived for sometime, he was there in Buncombe Co, NC on the 1790 Census with wife Mary Polly (Keith) Ritchie and several children,  later the family moved to Kentucky.

MARY POLLY KEITH had three brothers, two of those brothers are also on the 1790 census of Buncombe Co, NC, they were Gabriel Keith, his wife and children, also Reuben Keith, his wife Elizabeth Runnion and children, both brothers owned land there in Buncombe Co, NC. Gabriel Keith was a spy for sometime in Buncombe Co, he was sent to watch the Cherokee Indians movements.

James Ritchie settled in Carrs Creek in Perry Co, Kentucky. James Ritchie died between 1811-1818, he drown while crossing the river at Carrs Creek a tributary of Troublesome River, he was buried along the river there, but no one knows exactually just where.

After his death his wife Mary Polly (Keith) Ritchie and one of her sons, JOHN RITCHIE moved back to Virginia, she also had a daughter there, so she probably went to live with John and her daughter.

James & Mary Ritchie's son ALEXANDER CROCKETT RITCHIE stayed in Perry
Co, Ky, he married SUSAN  ELIZABETH GRIGSBY and settled in the mouth of
Clear Creek, he built the first cabin in Hammond's Gap, later the Gabe
Hudson Farm.

Alexander Crockett Ritchie lived in a cave up on Hudsons Ridge for awhile, while he was building his cabin, it is no longer there today, strip mining was done up there and it was all bulldozed down and cleared several years ago.

Alexander Crockett Ritchie's grandson Austin Ritchie married Rachel Everidge, the daughter of Solomon Everidge, who gave land and was instrumental in founding the Hindman Settlement School, near Solomon Everidge home.

Most of the RITCHIE'S belonged to the Old Regular Baptist church in the Troublesome Creek area, this area has many Ritchie Families, nearly all of them the Descendents of Alexander Crockett Ritchie & Susan Elizabeth Grigsby.

Their children were NICHOLAS RITCHIE who married NANCY PATRICK, the
daughter of Hugh & Barbara Patrick and settled on Ball Fork, GABRIEL RITCHIE who married NANCY CAMPBELL, the daughter of Jack Campbell of Buckhorn Creek. Jack Campbell served in the War of 1812 and is buried at Buckhorn Creek.
JAMES RITCHIE who married HANNAH FUGATE, the daughter of Martin Fugate,
a frenchman who settled on Buckhorn Creek. JOHN RITCHIE married SILVIA SIZEMORE and settled on Clear Creek in present Knotts Co, KY.
ALEXANDER CROCKETT RITCHIE the youngest, taught school in Dwarf and
married MARY FUGATE, a grandaughter of Martin Fugate.
NAOMI RITCHIE married EPHRAIM SIZEMORE, and ELIZABETH (BETTY)  RITCHIE
married WILLIAM SMITH, the son of Thomas Smith of Ary.
NANCY RITCHIE married Samuel Harvey and moved to West Virginia.
ORIAH RITCHIE (ORA) married Reece Young and lived on Lotts Creek and
MARY POLLY RITCHIE married ARCHIBALD CORNETT.
HIRAM RITCHIE and ISOM RITCHIE settled on Clear Creek and THOMAS RITCHIE
married Kizzie Smith, the daughter of Richard Smith.
HIRAM RITCHIE married PHOEBE PATRICK, the daughter of Hugh & Barbara
Patrick and ISOM married VICY JANE ACORD, the daughter of William G
Acord.
NICHOLAS, HIRAM, ISOM and MARY POLLY and OMAH and their families all
moved to Arkansas after 1850, to the Johnson, Madison County area.